Tufting button



Mrh 24, 1935. l R. Q CHAFFEE 2,035,424

TUFTING BUTTON Filed Aug. 4, 1954 Rayma/d 0. CP1/a e,

Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATE NT OFFICE TUFTIN G BUTTON Application August 4, 1934, Serial No. 738,406

Claims.

My invention aims to provide improvements in tufting buttons for upholstery and the like.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates a preferred form of my invention:-

Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a section through the device before the tape is attached to the plate and before the cover is assembled;

Fig. 4 is an edge View of the device as shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the plate part prior to assembly with the flexible attaching member.

The specific form of my invention as illustrated consists of a plate part I, a cover or cap 2, and a iiexible loop of tape 3 or the like textile material.

I have provided the plate I with a central oblong aperture 4 (Fig, 5), adapted to receive the free ends of the tape 3. The plate I is further provided with securing means for the ends of the tape 3. These consist of a pair of ears 5 5 struck up from the material of the plate I, thereby forming additional oblong apertures 6 6. I prefer to have these ears parallel to the central aperture 4 because that is where the ends of the tape 3 may be most conveniently located. I have also formed the aperture 4 and the ears 5 5 so that the three apertures will be substantially as long as the width of the tape.

The assembly of my invention is effected by forming a loop of the attaching member 3 and passing it through the aperture 4 in the plate I and leaving enough of the ends so that they may be stretched across the apertures 6 6 (Fig. 3). The ears 5 5 are then bent back into their respective apertures, thereby forcing the tape to enter the apertures 6 6 (Fig. 2). The tape is now securely fastened to the plate by a grip between each ear, at its sides, and the plate, at the sides of the apertures 6 6, as best shown in Fig. 2.

The remaining step in the assembly is the attaching of the cap 2. This is effected by placing the cap over the plate on the side away from the loop and then crimping the flange 'I over the plate. The purpose of the cover is to conceal the free ends of the tape and to present a neater surface. Also, the cap provides for a button-like device particularly desirable in tufting.

My invention has a very distinct advantage over the type of tufting device in present use. The devices to date consist of a button with an eye, or a pierced shank. To assemble such a button on the upholstery it isk necessary rst to make a loop of string or tape by sewing or otherwise joining the ends of a length of material. The loop is thenpassed through the eye of the button, over the head, and nally drawn tight. The loop is then forced` through the upholstery and fastenedY on the other side. This is a complicated procedure. It is the object of my invention to provide a button which is attached to the loop of tape ready to be used by the upholsterer. As I have shown above, the attaching of the tape to the button, in my improved tufting device, is made part of the operation of assembling the button itself, thus saving a great amount of time and manual labor on the part of the upholsterer.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby, as the scope of my invention is best dened by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tufting device including a plate and an attaching member in the form of a loop, said plate having an aperture adapted to receive the ends of said attaching member, said plate having at least one ear struck from the material of the plate at opposite sides of sai-d aperture and said ears being bent over said ends whereby said ends are firmly clenched between said ears and adjacent portions of said plate.

2. A tufting device including a plate and a flexible attaching member in the form of a loop, said plate having a centrally located aperture adapted to receive the ends of said loop, said plate having a pair of ears struck from it between said aperture and the periphery of said plate thereby forming a pair of oppositely disposed additional apertures, the ends of said loop being stretched across said additional apertures, and said ears being bent back over said ends and into their respective apertures therebysecuring said ends to said plate.

3. A tufting device including a plate and a flexible attaching member in the form of a loop, said plate having a plurality of apertures, the ends of said loop being passed through one of said apertures and each end being stretched across another of said apertures, said plate having ears adjacent two of sai-d apertures, and said ears being bent over the ends of said looped attaching member, and means for concealing the free ends of the loop and the top of the plate.

4. A tufting device including a plate, a flexible attaching member in the form of a loop, said plate having a centrally located elongated aperture in the form of a slot adapted to receive the ends of said loop, said plate having a pair of ears struck from its material to form a pair of elongated apertures substantially parallel to the rst-mentioned aperture and located between said central aperture and the periphery of the plate, the ends of said loop being passed through said central aperture and. one end being stretched across each of the additional apertures, and said ears being bent back into their respective apertures over .the ends of said loop.

5. A tufting device including a metal plate, a flexible textile attaching member in the form of a loop, said plate having a. centrally located elongated aperture in the form of a slot adapted to 

